| 04 Sep 2010 |
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Windows 7 overtakes predecessor’s market share
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Saturday, Sep 04, 2010
Gulf News
Windows XP is still the world’s most popular operating system
Dubai It has taken less than a year for MicrosoftMicrosoft
to establish the dominance of the Windows 7 operating system over its predecessor, Windows Vista, in terms of global marketshare.
Last month, Windows 7 took a 19.4 per cent share of the market, against the 17.7 per cent chiselled out by Vista. Meanwhile, Windows XP continues to dominate with a 55.4 per cent share, according to data from StatCounter, a web analytics firm.
“Globally, Africa, Asia and South America are fuelling the demand for Windows 7,” said Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter. “Despite having robust growth in Europe and North America, Windows Vista still tops the list in these countries.”
In the UAE, XP still rules with a 51.84 per cent share, followed by Vista with 22.53 per cent, and Windows 7 at 21.53 per cent. In comparison, Apple’s Mac OSX has a 2.87 per cent share of the gloabl market. Its global share is 5.66 per cent.
In the Gulf, PC users are gradually upgrading to Windows 7 as, since July 13, MicrosoftMicrosoft has no longer worked to shore up security weaknesses in computers using Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows 2000.
Wilson Xavier, Business Group Lead — Windows Client, Microsoft GulfMicrosoft Gulf, confirmed that the company has stopped updating drivers and patching holes. This may leave users vulnerable as their machines become increasingly susceptible to attacks from malicious software.
XP users will have to upgrade eventually because support will end on April 8, 2014. For those still running a version of Windows 2000, all formal support channels closed on July 13, though online support will continue until at least July 2011.
“Infected PCs in corporate settings are in huge demand by cyber gangs who place them in networks [or botnets] of thousands of other infected PCs used to spread spam, steal data and hijack online bank accounts,” Wilson said.
By Naushad K. Cherrayil?Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
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